Mario Tennis: Power Tour  Inner Struggle
by Goshi68
Summary: Ah, the Royal Tennis Academy! A place of great status and tennis skills! Clay and Ace are thrown into the academy with a racquet and handful of dreams. Can they master the Power Shots and win the Island Open? R&R T
1. Prolouge: Welcome Workout Knockout

Mario Tennis – Power Tour

Inner Struggle

_Disclaimer!_

_I, Goshi68, do NOT own Mario, Nintendo, or Camelot. Just don't think that I do. Period._

**Author's Note: While this follows Clay and Ace on their quest to become the best, there will also be OCs from time-to-time. Now, I will eventually get around to explaining it, but there will be a flood of OCs when we hit the Island Open, but I hope for God's sake that both you and I can handle that. Enough with my rambling, let's get started!**

_~Struggle One~_

_~~Welcome Workout Knockout~~_

* * *

><p>The Royal Tennis Academy; One of the greatest symbols of tennis professionalism around the entire world. It had hailed champions such as the fearless Alex, his power striker partner, Harry, and the dynamite duo Nina and Kate. Ever since Alex and Harry won both divisions of the amazing Island Open, a tournament which would decide which school trained the hardest; many young tennis players had flocked to the Academy to learn the secret to their power. Because of this overload of publicity, the Royal Tennis Academy had taken protocols to ensure that only those who had the power and skill to stand up to their standards. This was known as the Welcome Workout, a grueling test of strength, speed, and stamina, all rolled into one. Some passed it, some didn't. Those who did jumped right into the flow of their workouts, while those who failed tried again, or went to other schools, such as Factory or Empire.<p>

Headmaster Charles was seated at his desk, and his window had a perfect view of the courts that would be used for the Welcome Workout. He looked forward to each one, and knew that at least half would pass it. Of course, he didn't get his hopes up too much. He occasionally went down to check on the thing first-hand, but usually got the okay from Alex or Nina, who had supervised the Workout most of the time.

"Well, time to see who will pass." He said, as he witnessed the Coaches, Kevin, Emily, Mark, Alex, Nina, Harry, and Kate, line up on one end of the long stretch of courts, and the recruits, which were about two-hundred, lining up on the side opposite. A teen dressed in a light blue cap, a green shirt, and blue athletic shorts, namely Alex, stepped out to the net on the central court where everyone was gathered.

* * *

><p>"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Alex called aloud. All of the new recruits snapped immediately, turning their full attention to the stoic twenty-year-old. "Welcome to the Royal Tennis Academy. More importantly, welcome to the Welcome Workout." He began to pace back and forth. He grabbed his racquet with his left hand, which was leaning on one of the net posts. "Here, you will be tested to determine weather you get in the Academy or not. You will be tested in three skills; strength, speed, and stamina." Alex turned to the recruits again. "If you receive a grade-point of no less than two hundred, you will be accepted." He pointed at the other courts. "Twenty-nine to a court and girls are encouraged to play with either Nina," the orange-haired, twin-braided twenty-year-old stepped forward, bowed, and stepped back. "Kate," this time, a girl with wild blonde hair and clad in a pink shirt and tennis skirt hopped forward, bowed, and returned to her place. "or Mark." Mark, a man with a bright-red hairstyle and matching red clothes walked forward, and bowed as well. "Now, pick a court, and begin!" He threw his hand upward, and signaled for players to find a coach to work with. The seven spread out, and almost instantly there were lines to all seven.<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>Here we go."<em> A young boy, who had a mop of auburn hair, and clad in a yellow polo with blue sleeves, blue athletic shorts, and custom-made teal Nikes' stood in the line of Harry, who was the brute force of Alex's doubles team. He was sixth in line. He saw his doubles partner scramble off towards Nina's line. _"Ah well." _ He breathed out a sigh of content, and readied himself for his endeavor to become one of the Academy's students. _"My name is Clay, and I WILL become an Academy Player!"_

* * *

><p>Headmaster Charles was still sitting comfortably in his seat, watching the Welcome Workout unfold. "Hmm…How many will pass?" He pondered aloud. "I hope that at least half of them pass. But will they decide to stay with us, I do not know…"<p>

"Headmaster, sir." A voice called from the middle-aged man's desk. "There are two men and two women in front of the gate, all of which are covered up in masks. They say they want a match with Alex. Should I let them in?"

The man thought for a bit, then said, "Send 'em up. I would love to know who these guys are, and why they want to challenge Alex."

* * *

><p>"Dude, are you feeling alright?" One person asked.<p>

"Yeah, should you really be pushing yourself this hard?" Another one questioned.

Clay was on his knees on the court. His skin was slimy with sweat, and he was wiping a towel over his face. He grabbed a bottle of water, and shot some of the ice-cold water into his mouth. His throat was dry, and that quenched it. He threw the towel off the court, stood back up, and yelled, "Ready!" He was back into ready mode.

Harry, his Workout advisor, sighed, "Alright, let's keep going!" He grabbed a ball from the basket, and fired it across the court. Clay ran to the ball, and easily backhanded it back across the net. "One-forty!' Harry called, and shot another ball off to the right side of the court. The brown-haired teen topped the ball back over the net, ensuring sixty-eight consecutive returns. "One-forty-two!" this time, Harry put off the power and lobbed it upwards. Clay stood still for a moment, and then adjusted his position to fend the ball back. He shot the ball back towards the left corner with a skillful backhand. "One-forty-three!" Another lob, but this time it was a short top. Clay scrambled to the left side of the net, and gracefully slammed it to the baseline. Another inbound shot down.

"Seven more, and you got it!" Harry called out aloud, happy to see such a promising recruit. He backhanded the ball to the left corner of Clay's court, and his smile increased even more when the auburn teen sliced it back into his court. "Almost there!" He forehanded the yellow tennis ball, sending it down the center of the court. Clay almost missed hitting the ball back inbounds, but it landed right on the outside-left sideline. "Good shot! Five!" Another lob, another slam from the sweating teen.

"Four!" This time, he hit a drop shot, skillfully hitting it just beyond the net. Clay wasted no time scooping the ball back into Harry's side. "Three!" Clay called aloud this time, and he performed a back-step, and locked into stance. Harry tossed the yellow ball above his head, and smashed it from the baseline straight at Clay, who reacted quickly, sidestepping and delivering a topspin shot with a skilled forehand swipe. _"Dammit! My grip's slipping!"_ His racquet's grip was getting slick due to the sheer amount of sweat he had shed. Harry's final ball was a short chop-lob, and he performed a smash to counter it. The ball sailed into the top of the net, bouncing off the top of the net and landed right into Harry's basket, and in turn knocking the metal container over.

"One-forty-nine!" Harry called to Clay, but the brown-haired boy hadn't even looked up and, dropping his racquet with a resounding _Clang!_, and with that, he collapsed onto the court.

"K-kid!" Harry literally flew to the teen's side, and wasted no time checking his pulse. He sighed out of relief when he found the boy's pulse still there, and picked up the unconscious boy. "Jay! Cover for me until I get back!" Another young man ran to Harry's station, whilst Harry himself carried Clay to the infirmary.

* * *

><p>"<em>Huh, where am I? Why is it so dark?"<em>

"H-hey!" Clay could hear a masculine voice calling. "He's awake!" He heard footsteps, and they gradually got louder until they rested right beside him. He could feel a hand touch his neck, likely checking his pulse. Then another rested on his forehead.

"No sighs of fatigue, Harry-san." Clay could hear a woman politely speak.

Harry sighed, "Drop the –san stuff with me, please?" He rubbed his hair. "I understand that it's common for people like you to say something like that, but for me, it just feels weird."

"O-okay, Harry." The woman quickly corrected herself, and glanced back at Clay.

"Nnng…What the hell…?" Clay's eyes shot open, revealing his chocolate-brown orbs. "Why am I here?"

Harry coughed loudly, attracting Clay's attention. "You passed out. I guess the continual punishment caused you to shut down."

"Great." The brown-haired boy blew out a gust of air. "Did I at least pass?"

"Yes. I would say probably, but you blew me away with your skill."

"Good." Clay sighed again, and his eyelids drooped slightly. "Now, can I sleep?"

Harry stood up, and began to leave, "I'll let you do that. Tanaka?" The burly man called, and a woman dressed in scrubs came in from another room. "Gas 'em." He whispered in her ear. She went up to Clay's bed, pulled a breathing mask from a table, and proceeded to put it over his mouth and nose.

"Sweet dreams…" She began to trail off as Clay's eyes closed and fell asleep.

~END~

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><p><strong>Uh, Review?<strong>


	2. Struggle 1: Academy Shakeup!

_Disclaimer: Yeah. I still don't own Nintendo or Camelot. Nor Clay or Ace. Suck it up._

**Mario Tennis: Power Tour**

**~Inner Struggle~**

**Struggle 2: "Academy Shake-up!"**

* * *

><p>"Good morning, Clay."<p>

…

She sighed, "Dammit," This girl, in fact, was wearing a white tanktop with pink borders, a plaid white-and-red skirt, and pink Wilsons. She also had her luxurious brunette hair in pigtails, and her school bag and hot-pink tennis bag was slung over her shoulder. The mysterious girl was standing a front of a green door.

She fished around in her bag. She eventually pulled out a key. "Yes!" She silently cheered. She pushed the key into the door's lock, and turned. _Click!_

...

The girl walked into the room, which was pitch-black, bar the soft light flowing from the curtains. She fumbled for the switch, and pushed it upwards, flooding the room with artificial light.

The girl sighed. "Still out like a light, huh?" She noticed that Clay, her partner, was all but fully clothed, only wearing a nightshirt and blue-striped boxers. She gasped, and blood flushed to her face. "Jeez, they literally took out your duds and tossed you in the bed." She began to pace around the room. "But seriously," She stopped and looked at her partner. "Someone _really _needs to brain the guy who came up with this whole Welcome Workout thing."

She moved to pick up his shirt, and hung it up. "But you get points just for surviving that. Not bad, Clay." She then grabbed his shorts and shoes, slinging the former over a chair, and putting the latter on the desk. "I'll clean this mess up for you, but only this once." She walked over to her slumbering partner, and slammed her foot on the floor. "NOW UP AN' ATTEM', CLAY!" She raged, as Clay suddenly woke, and nearly leaped seven feet in the air.

"G-gah!" Clay yelped as he landed on the ground. He looked up to see a giggling girl. "What? Where am I?"

"Well, where do you think you are?" She asked, her little giggle fit stopped.

"Isn't this the Academy?" The half-awake brunet answered.

She nodded. "The one-and-only Royal Tennis Academy; you wanted to get good, now you're here." She said matter-of-factly. The brunette tilted her head to the side. "Now, who am I?"

Clay sighed, and threw his arms around the girl. "Ace, my doubles partner. How could I _not_ remember?"

Ace blushed, and then sharply pushed him off, causing him to trip back onto the bed. "Idiot. I don't like to be hugged, remember?" She candidly asked Clay, in which the boy shrugged.

"So what?" Clay shot back, "We're partners, right?"

"Bah." The brunette merely sighed. "At any rate-"

_Ruuuuum!_

"You-you're…" Ace burst into fits of giggles.

Clay hung his head and blushed while his partner continued to laugh.

_Ruuuuuuuuuuuum!_

"E-eep!" Now it was Ace's turn to blush. Clay flashed a coy smile.

"Who's hungry again?"

"S-shuddup!" Ace yelped. Clay just laughed.

"No worries." Clay said to his brunette partner, then looked towards the window. "We should get going, don't'cha think?"

"Y-yeah." Ace silently left the room, blush still apparent. Clay followed her out.

"So, anyways, Clay." Ace said as the two exited the dormitory. "Do you know your way around?"

Clay sighed, then shook his head.

"Great." The brunette said as she looked up. "Of course, this is the dormitory." The two teens gazed at the massive housing.

"Woah…" Clay said, absolutely flabbergasted at the sight of the dorms.

* * *

><p>"Yeah. Huge, huh?" Ace sweetly smiled at him, the turned back to the dorms. "But the name's stuffy, so everyone just calls it the 'dorm'."<p>

"I can see why." Clay was turned away from the dorms. "But I'm hungry. Let's go eat."

"Sure." The two began to run off towards the local cafe, the Service Ace.

And it didn't take long for the two to find the Academy's café.

"Ahh, the smell of freshly-cooked food!" Ace calmly said as she stretched out her arms.

"Sure, sure." Her calm partner said as he opened the door for the two. "Let's eat!"

The two entered to find the place…completely deserted.

"Wait, what the hell?" The brunette said aloud as she walked forward, inspecting the room even more. She turned toward the cook. "Where is everyone?"

"Some punks in masks charged in and demanded to face Alex!" The cook answered.

"Yeah." The lone waiter, seated at the nearest table, continued the cook's story. "They already beat Mark and Kevin, and are probably facing him right now."

Ace immediately grabbed Clay's hand and dragged him out. "Thanks for the info!"

* * *

><p>Alex felt like he was going to collapse. "S…shit…" He swore between deep breaths. He tightly gripped his racquet, and faced his opponent again.<p>

"No, Alex…" Nina, his girlfriend, was seated at the bench next to the judge's chair.

Mark held his hand high, "40-Love! Match Point!"

"Heh…" The masked man threw the yellow ball up again, and sped it back towards the capped prodigy.

"No way in hell are you getting that point!" Alex yelled as he slammed the ball back.

The rally continued for another five minutes, and then suddenly, an orange aura flowed around the masked player's racquet.

At that moment, Clay and Ace burst through the auditorium doors, only to see the masked man's blind everyone in the place from a bright flash.

"Hammer Slam!" The masked man called, as his racquet was replaced with a giant hammer. He swung it heavily, colliding with the ball.

_Schpok!_

The ball heavily flew into the other court, making a small indent, and smashed into the backing.

"Game, set, and match!" Kevin yelled, looking through one eye. "Mask, six games to love!"

Alex's body felt like deadweight. "Damn…" The match finally over, his shaky and sweaty form heaved itself to the ground.

By that time, the masked man had walked up to the net. He raised his racquet, pointing it at the half-conscious Alex. "Learn how to hit Power Shots, and teach everyone in this school how to hit them." He walked over to the bench, where another masked man, and two veiled women were sitting. He high-fived all three, and then calmly put his red racquet into his bag.

"_M, huh…"_ Clay thought. _"Whose name starts with an M, I wonder?"_

Nina and Harry, Alex's partner, were already on the court, helping the twenty-year-old onto his feet.

Alex pointed his racquet at the masked people. "Just who the hell are you guys?"

The taller man answered back, "Superstars."

Alex held his head. "Great..." "_Still no answer...Damn!"_

"But," one of the girls, sporting a pink tennis-dress and veil, had said, "If you want to know, us four will meet you in the headmaster's office."

Clay and Ace were shocked. No one had beaten Alex before. Especially with a score of six-love.

"Is there any hope?" Ace mumbled. She looked at her brunet partner. "If we play someone like them, we'll lose..."

Clay placed his hand on her shoulder. "Then we'll train to learn how to hit such shots."

The slightly-freaking-out brunette looked up to her partner. "Yeah. Let's do that."

Clay smiled. "We will." He turned towards the doors. "Now, then. Who were those guys?" He looked towards the courts, only to find them barren, the four masked players, Alex, Harry and Nina had already went into the locker rooms, and had probably already left the Center Court altogether.

Ace perked up fast, her gloomy mood already long gone. "Let's go see if the Headmaster knows about these people." She recommended. The calm brunet and brunette exited the Center Court without talking to anyone else.

* * *

><p>"Whaddya mean, the four junior Schools are joining the four of us in the Island Open?" Headmaster Charles practically exploded upon hearing the news from the masked men.<p>

"We already made rounds to the other seven that will be competing." The taller calmly said. "And besides, playing people from just Royal, Factory, Union, and Empire can get quite boring after a while."

"So," One of the veiled women, clad in pink, began, "The four schools, as you already know, are Island, Shadosa, Jordan, and Mikasu..."

Alex was sitting in a chair on the side of the room, a wet towel slung around his neck and sipping water. "So, how will the brackets be set up?" He inquired.

The woman turned to him. "Each of the four major schools will have a seeded player of their choice. Yours will probably be that kid who got won last year…"

"…Elroy." The headmaster finished.

"Agreed." Alex added.

"At any rate," the shorter masked man slung his bag over his shoulder. "We must be going."

The head stood up, "W-wait!" The four masked players stopped. "May I at least ask your names?"

The two men of the group looked at each other, nodded, and then turned back. "Pictures are better than words." They looked at the two women, and the four peeled their masks off.

The head looked at the quartet, his face expressionless and sweaty. _"You guys are…M-m…"_

* * *

><p>Clay and Ace wasted no time getting to the main office of the Academy. The two walked up to the counter.<p>

"Good morning, Ace." The girl at the counter said. She had her honey brown hair tied up in a bun, and was sporting a sleek black dress. Her chocolate-brown eyes darted from the screen to Ace, and back to the screen, only double-taking to see the other, another boy, clad in a blue and yellow polo, and messy brown hair. She stopped working and turned to the boy. "And you are?"

"Clay." The brunet said to her.

"Oh!" she said. "You're the boy who passed out at the Workout yesterday!"

Clay frowned. "I exhausted myself while playing fiercely. It's natural."

"Pssh." Ace cut in. "Anyway, do you know where those masked men went? We wanna know who they are."

The woman simply shrugged, and pointed at the door. "Just left. Alex and the Head are out there too."

Clay and Ace nodded, giving their thanks, then bolted out the front door.

"Hey!" "Wait up!" Both Clay and Ace yelled as they reached the gate, finding none other than the Headmaster and Alex.

Alex noticed the two the moment they exited the building, but kept to himself. "Oh, it's you two."

"Yeah." Clay said, "Do you know where those players are?"

Alex's face told them everything. "They…left already."

"Can you at least tell us their names?" Ace asked.

Headmaster Charles spoke this time, "'Fraid we can't."

Ace paled, like she had just lost a match, "W-why n-not?" She slowly began to sob.

"Ace!" Clay pulled his brunette partner into a hug. She looked like she was going to burst into tears.

Alex and the Head were shocked. But, in that moment, Alex came up with an idea. "But when you think of their position, Clay and Ace, would've they _really_ have worn the masks if they didn't care who saw them?"

"N-no…" Ace struggled to say between her sobs.

"Exactly." Alex continued. "They came to this school to teach us a great power, so that we may win the Island Open again." He looked to sky, "And if you two win, you can bet that they'll be coming for you." He offered his hands to the two. "So if you two want to see them again, you better play hard, become a varsity member, and win!" The two shook his hand, and almost instantly, Clay and Ace were filled with a drive.

_Determination to Win!_

Ace had recovered from her sobbing, and instead she held a look of hope and dedication. She turned to Clay, her brunet partner, and said, "Clay! Let's wi-"

_Rrrrumble!_

Before she could even finish the sentence, her stomach growled loudly. Alex and the Head looked blank. Clay was smirking confidently, and Ace herself was blushing beet red.

"I-I totally forgot to get some grub…" the pigtailed brunette propped her elbow on her brunet partner's shoulder. Clay simply shrugged her off, and then turned back towards the Academy.

"Alex."

"Hm?" The twenty-year-old asked, puzzled. "What is it, Clay?"

"We'll win, and when we do, I want a match with you." Clay cockily answered.

"We'll see." Alex shot back. "If you can achieve _perfection_ during the Island Open, then I might."

"I will."

"Good."

Clay and Ace then proceeded to go back towards the restaurant to fill their stomachs with delicious food.

* * *

><p><em>Several hours later…<em>

"Phew!" Ace called aloud. The young brunette had her bubblegum-pink tennis bag slung over her shoulder, and was caked in sweat from a hard day's workout. Her pigtails were undone, and her shoulder-length hair swished as she walked. By her side was Clay, whose hair was disheveled and was carrying a ocean-blue bag. "That was one hell of a workout!"

"Yeah." Clay agreed. "Even though we couldn't get much of a workout from today's...events."

"Yeah." Ace gazed up to the sky. The sun was dimming, daring to take the plunge, while the stars and moon took control. The two had reached the dorm, and were about to enter. "Hold on," Ace said to her partner. She turned to the brunet, then suddenly hugged him. "I'm glad you cheered me up back there."

Clay shrugged, and then said, "No worries, Ace." He proceeded to wrap his strong and slender arms around her. "We'll become strong and we'll win."

Ace's cheeks flooded with crimson, but she steeled herself and said, "I know we can."

The two continued for hugging for a moment more, then the two proceeded to enter the dorms, heading for the slumber they desperately needed.

* * *

><p><strong>That's the end.<strong>

**Mind dropping a review?**


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